Tuesday, 26 April 2016

Primary School Applications: What if you child doesn't get offered your First Choice

After all the school open evenings, prospectus reading and scrutinising Google Maps to work out catchment areas, I am pleased to accept the primary school place for Lily at her first choice. All three schools we had selected are very good and within a reasonable walking distance, but the first choice is ultimately the closest, but it also happened to be the only one we were in catchment area for.

That button

What would we have done if Lily had not been offered a place at her first choice school? I know I would have felt pretty dejected if I had received that news in the email late last night and I would be left with a definite feeling of uncertainty as to what to do next and how. I would be asking myself, how on earth wouldn't she get into her first choice? But at least I had put down two other schools which I considered just as good as the second and third choice, which is a very important step in the primary school application procedure.

However, for many families, there is often just one school and one school only that they deem a good school for the education of their child during their early, most formative years; second and third choice (if stated in the form) are just not ideal for a variety of reasons, but factors such as over-subscription to popular, well-performing schools within a good area and catchment area rules can mean that it can't always be a given that the first choice can be allocated to everyone. The appeals process can be a daunting one, but with the prospect of no school place for this coming September, many families will be seeking further advice. Education specialists Simon Millar have years of experience with dealing with such matters and advise parents to launch an appeal loaded with facts as to why their child ought to be allocated a place in their first choice of school, rather than make an emotional plea. With some councils having astonishingly low appeal success rates, it is worthwhile to be clued up on the appeals process and as soon as possible. This free school admissions appeal information pack provides step by step guidance and importantly there is a focus on time management which could be crucial to a successful appeal outcome.
The appeals process can make the different to your child's education, so I hope for anyone who is reading this who has started the paperwork that you are successful in persevering. In the meantime, before September I will be using Twinkl Resources to help Lily get ready for her first year of school. She really enjoys phonics and writing so I am sure I will find something to engage her.